At least not until she got it back during a viewing of stolen property presented by the Orange County Sheriff's Department at Laguna Niguel City Hall.

Coltman was one of dozens of people from across the county who looked through at least 100 items laid out on tables. Most of the items, like Colfman's piece, were costume jewelry. There also were some watches, Turkish and South American coins, and a couple of fake designer purses.

The viewing Wednesday included items found with two Fullerton men arrested on suspicion of burglary Dec. 21 in Laguna Niguel.

The two, identified as Michael Guerrero, 22, and Justin Eatenton, 25, were first arrested by Fullerton police Dec. 19 in connection with another burglary and were released.

Investigators accuse them of burglarizing dozens of homes from August through December. Investigators say the thefts resulted in at least $100,000 in losses. Some items believed to be stolen were found in Eatenton's Ford Explorer, and others were found at Guerrero's home, sheriff's investigator Liz Henriquez said.

Guerrero and Eatenton have been arraigned and are due back in court Feb. 27 for a pretrial hearing.

Henriquez and sheriff's investigator Aubrey Carroll said those responsible for the burglaries knew what they were doing and likely sold the more expensive jewelry as fast as they could. A gold-testing kit helped them determine which pieces to move first, Henriquez said.

"Since the price of gold has gone up, we've seen a spike in jewelry thefts," Henriquez said. "Pawn shops are mandated by laws to keep details of transactions, (but) jewelry shops are not and make it easier for people to get rid of it."

That's what happened in Coltman's case. On Dec. 3, she left her Laguna Niguel home excited to go Christmas shopping. She remembers noticing a man standing on the corner of her street but disregarded her intuition to go home and make sure her windows and doors were locked.

"Thirty-six years of a perfectly safe home; I didn't want to go backward, and shoved the intuition away," she said.

Two hours later, around noon, she got home and saw that the window next to the front door had been pried open. The nearby chair was scooted to the side. And when she got to her bedroom, she saw that it was ransacked. Drawers were open and a case with 40 years of jewelry was emptied. It had contained gold, silver, pearls, diamonds and her mother's heirloom jewelry. She later found that nine other homes in the area had been hit.

"My safe little neighborhood is over in my mind," she said. "I feel like my bubble is popped. If someone wants to find a way into your home, they will. With the price of gold so high, they're going to come in."

About a month ago, Coltman and others were invited to a first viewing of some of the stolen items. Colfman was disappointed when only the costume jewelry had been found. She saw her fake silver ring, but seeing it was depressing, and she walked by without claiming it. She didn't want to be reminded of the crime.

When she heard about this week's viewing, she hoped there would be more. But there on the table was that cheap ring. She told Henriquez it was hers but that she didn't really want it.

That's when Coltman learned of its real, non-monetary value. Henriquez said that by identifying the ring, Colfman strengthened the case against the the men who had it in their possession.

"She was so happy to get it back when she realized what it meant," Henriquez said. "Even though it was a cheap piece of jewelry, she realized what it meant to the case."

Related Links

Stolen property recovered by the Orange County Sheriff's Department is displayed at a public viewing at Laguna Niguel City Hall on Wednesday. JEFFREY ANTENORE, FOR THE REGISTER
Tom Marsh looks at stolen property recovered by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, hoping to find watches and pearls stolen from his Laguna Niguel home. JEFFREY ANTENORE, FOR THE REGISTER
Rick Costa, left, of Laguna Niguel, hoping to recover a stolen iPad, talks with Orange County sheriff's investigator Aubrey Carroll during Wednesday's stolen-property viewing at Laguna Niguel City Hall. JEFFREY ANTENORE, FOR THE REGISTER
Stolen rings and other jewels recovered by the Orange County Sheriff's Department are displayed Wednesday in Laguna Niguel. JEFFREY ANTENORE, FOR THE REGISTER
Orange County sheriff's investigator Liz Henriquez, right, talks with Suzanne and Mark Leskovar of Huntington Beach, who were looking to recover 11 saddles stolen from the Orange County fairgrounds in November. JEFFREY ANTENORE, FOR THE REGISTER
Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino holds a gold-testing kit authorities say was used by burglars to test stolen jewelry. JEFFREY ANTENORE, FOR THE REGISTER
Sheriff's investigator Aubrey Carroll helps Teresa McCarthy, of San Clemente, look for jewelry and passports stolen from her home. JEFFREY ANTENORE, FOR THE REGISTER
Some of the items displayed Wednesday by the Orange County Sheriff's Department at a public viewing of stolen property. JEFFREY ANTENORE, FOR THE REGISTER

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